Tag: Pakistan

  • Naya Pakistan: ‘Gas shortage to double’

    Naya Pakistan: ‘Gas shortage to double’

    With a projected shortfall of 477 million cubic feet per day (mmcfd) and amid lack of new explorations, the shortage of gas is likely to be doubled next year, Cabinet Committee on Energy (CCoE) has been informed.

    According to Profit, a meeting of the CCoE, chaired by Adviser to Prime Minister on Finance and Revenue Dr Abdul Hafeez Shaikh, was informed on Wednesday that the demand of gas had risen by 5 per cent per annum during the past seven years.

    The heavy gas shortfall recorded last month (December 2019) was nearly 270 mmcfd.

    “One of the major reasons for this upsurge was the consumption of gas in the winter season by the domestic sector, which prefers to use heavily-subsidised gas as compared to other energy sources,” officials of the Ministry of Energy informed the CCoE.

    The committee was further told that work on adding 70 mmcfd gas in the Sui Southern Gas Company’s system and taking LNG supplies for Sui Northern Gas Pipeline up to 1,300 mmcfd had already started but its implementation was hampered by issues pertaining to the grant of ‘Right of Ways’ from the Sindh government, which had granted only one RoW so far while two more were still awaited since last summer.

    “With these measures, nearly 70 mmcfd gas is likely to be added to SSGC by the end of January.”

    According to the energy ministry, in view of 2020-21 projections showing a shortfall of 477 mmcfd, the government has decided to build additional terminals; five new private terminals were awarded in Nov 2019, while process for a dedicated pipeline of 1.2BCFD+, required to carry imported LNG from these terminals to north, would also begin soon.

    The CCoE noted that there was a need to work on contingency plans for 2020-21 to overcome the gas shortage. It stressed using energy produced through gas and electricity as a whole to provide more options to energy consumers and to bring efficiency in the system.

    Earlier, the Ministry of Energy briefed the CCoE on the current demand-supply situation of gas/RLNG, natural gas allocation and management, average gas supplies, winter load management, indigenous gas production, supplies and consumption in different regions, and LNG requirement by the SNGPL/SSGC.

    The CCoE asked the ministry to brief in the next meeting the current situation in the power sector so that the problems in both gas and power sectors could be properly analyzed and contextualized uniformly and a realistic and more efficient solution to bridge the demand and supply gap could be chalked out.

  • Information Ministry celebrates Pakistan’s inclusion in Forbes list by tweeting a picture of Armenia

    Information Ministry celebrates Pakistan’s inclusion in Forbes list by tweeting a picture of Armenia

    In case you missed it, Pakistan was included on the Forbes list of ‘Best under-the-radar’ tourist spots in 2020. Needless to say, Pakistanis were overjoyed at this.

    The Ministry of Information and Broadcasting celebrated the news by sharing a picture of the 7th-century Zvartnots Cathedral in Armenia.

    https://twitter.com/MoIB_Official/status/1214783303255023616?s=20

    Here are some more pictures of the cathedral. Built in the middle of the 7th century CE, under the instructions of the Catholicos Nerses III, Zvartnots is the oldest and largest aisled tetraconch church in historical Armenia.

    The tweet was later retweeted by Minister for Science and Technology Fawad Chaudhry and has close to 1000 likes.

  • Pakistani passport now ranks at fourth-worst for international travel

    Pakistani passport now ranks at fourth-worst for international travel

    The Pakistani passport has been ranked as the fourth worst passport for international travel, according to the Henley Passport Index.

    The Henley Passport Index is a ranking of all the world’s passports according to the number of destinations their holders can access without a prior visa. It has placed Pakistan on the 104th position. 

    Last year the Pakistani passport had been rated as the
    fifth-worst passport to hold.

    It shares the fourth spot with Somalia followed by Syria,
    Iraq and Afghanistan. Pakistani passport holders still enjoy visa-free access
    to 32 countries.

    Japan came at the top spot as the world’s most powerful
    passport. Other Asian countries on the list are Singapore, which is in the
    second spot, and South Korea with Germany is in third place.

    European countries also performed well with Finland on
    fourth and Spain, Luxembourg and Denmark coming fifth. Sweden and France took
    the sixth spot on the list.

    The United States fell two places down coming on eighth,
    sharing the spot with United Kingdom, Norway, Green and Belgium. Canada ranked
    ninth.

    The United Arab Emirates also climbed up 47 places to sit
    in 18th place, with a visa-free or visa-on-arrival score of 171.

    Here are the 10 most powerful passports in the world:

    1. Japan (191 destinations)

    2. Singapore (190)

    3. South Korea, Germany (189)

    4. Italy, Finland (188)

    5. Spain, Luxembourg, Denmark (187)

    6. Sweden, France (186)

    7. Switzerland, Portugal, Netherlands, Ireland, Austria
    (185)

    8. United States, United Kingdom, Norway, Greece, Belgium
    (184)

    9. New Zealand, Malta, Czech Republic, Canada, Australia
    (183)

    10. Slovakia, Lithuania, Hungary (181)

    Here are the five least powerful passports in the world:

    1. Afghanistan (26)

    2. Iraq (28)

    3. Syria (29)

    4. Pakistan, Somalia (32)

    5. Yemen

  • PM Khan launches app for drug prevention

    PM Khan launches app for drug prevention

    Prime Minister Imran Khan launched an app for drug prevention. The “Zindagi” app has been introduced by the government to stop drug penetration in society.

    The federal government has launched this app to curb drug addiction in the country and to educate people about it. According to the Prime Minister’s Office, the purpose of the “Zindagi” app is to build a drug-free society. The mobile app will have all the information on drug use and its repercussions.

    Meanwhile, watch what happens to the drugs that are seized by the Anti-Narcotics Force.

  • ‘Bijli aati hai?’: Twitter reacts to Fawad Chaudhry’s invitation to Tesla’s Elon Musk

    ‘Bijli aati hai?’: Twitter reacts to Fawad Chaudhry’s invitation to Tesla’s Elon Musk

    Twitter has reacted to Federal Minister for Science and Technology Fawad Chaudhry’s invitation to American billionaire and owner of Tesla, Elon Musk, to establish a car factory in Pakistan in a rather amusing way.

    Taking to Twitter and tagging Musk, the minister had on Sunday replied to a news story regarding an announcement by the United States (US) automaker to build half a million electric vehicles a year at its future factory outside Berlin.

    “Dear Elon Musk your next destination may be Pakistan where 68 per cent of world population lives within 3.5 hours flight radius from Islamabad,” tweeted Fawad.

    “We offer ten years zero tax facility and custom free import for factory setup, no other country may offer, plus we are the world’s 3rd biggest freelance software exporters,” he added.

    It wasn’t later that Fawad’s proposal attracted trolls, especially from India.

    https://twitter.com/DH2078/status/1214044887177285633
    https://twitter.com/TrulyMonica/status/1213827796524359680
    https://twitter.com/jaybeeaar/status/1214063106583777281
    https://twitter.com/Bilal84509893/status/1213707711214432256

    https://twitter.com/Agneevasircar/status/1213840061231296512

    According to reports, Tesla is planning to build half a million electric vehicles a year at its future factory outside Berlin.

    Planning documents posted online Friday reveal that the US automaker wants to construct Model 3 and Model Y vehicles at the site in Gruenheide, as well as “future models.”

    The so-called Gigafactory – Tesla’s fourth – will include facilities to assemble entire electric vehicles, including the production of batteries.

    The plans will have to undergo an environmental impact review and public consultation.

    Tesla aims to start operating the plant in July 2021, an optimistic time frame by German standards.

    Construction of a nearby airport for Berlin began in 2006 and the opening has been delayed for eight years.

  • Indian fishermen go back home with good memories of Malir Jail

    Indian fishermen go back home with good memories of Malir Jail

    The government of Pakistan freed 20 Indian fishermen as a sign of goodwill from the Malir District Prison. The fishermen have returned to their homeland with nothing but good memories from Pakistan.

    Indian fisherman Gir Somnath on his release from prison said,  “We were arrested at sea by the Pakistan Coast Guard for crossing over to Pakistan waters in November 2018. At the time we prepared ourselves for the worst. But our 14 months in jail has helped clear all misconceptions about this country we used to see as our enemy earlier.”

     “Whatever we used to hear in the news about Pakistan seemed like a piece of fiction while we were in prison here,” he added.

    Speaking further, the fisherman said, “We are taking back with us good memories of Malir jail. We never felt like we were in another country here. The jail staff was nice to us. They told us that they knew that we were here due to our ill fate. We were not real criminals so they were not treating us as such while providing us with all kinds of facilities.”

    The Indian fishermen, most of whom belong to the
    Indian state of Andhra Pradesh, were handed over to the Edhi Foundation by the
    jail police. They boarded the train to Lahore from the Cantonment Railway
    Station.

    Meanwhile, 199 Indian prisoners including 189 fishermen and 10 civilians are still in jails in Pakistan.

  • Twitter goes crazy after Indians use hair dryers, steam irons to dry pitch

    Twitter goes crazy after Indians use hair dryers, steam irons to dry pitch

    Twitter on Sunday lost it after the staff at the Barsapara Cricket Stadium in Guwahati, India used hair dryers and steam irons to dry the pitch after rain delayed the start of the first Twenty International (T20I) between India and Sri Lanka.

    As per the details, in the beginning, it just looked like a passing shower, but then it was pouring down minutes. Around 8 pm though the heavens relented, the rain had already affected the state of the pitch with wet patches.

    Just when ground staff started its repair work, rain returned to make things worse. This time though, more care was taken with an extra cover being placed on the 22 yards. However, the damage was already done, and when it all cleared around 8:45 pm, the ground staff much to everyone’s surprise brought out a hair dryer, steam iron, and vacuum cleaner to dry the wet patches.

    Here’s what Twitter has to say about it:

    https://twitter.com/DTRomesh/status/1213851204993867778

    Indian captain Virat Kohli had opted to field first after winning the toss. However, just as pacer Jasprit Bumrah was getting ready to bowl the first delivery, rain arrived and stopped the play.

    The match was eventually called off due to a damp pitch. The teams now head to Indore for the second T20I on January 7.

  • ‘You messed up,’ Gen Bajwa told US secretary of state: ISPR chief

    ‘You messed up,’ Gen Bajwa told US secretary of state: ISPR chief

    Inter-Services Public Relations (ISPR) Director General Major General Asif Ghafoor has quoted Chief of Army Staff (COAS) General Qamar Javed Bajwa as telling United States (US) Secretary of State Mike Pompeo that White House’s misadventure in Baghdad was detrimental to efforts aimed at regional peace.

    “The region is making progress towards peace from a very bad situation and the Baghdad incident is detrimental to the peace efforts in the region,” the ISPR chief quoted the COAS as telling Pompeo as US-Iran tensions soar following the killing of top Iranian commander Qassem Soleimani and other officials in a US President Donald Trump-ordered drone strike on Friday in Baghdad.

    Speaking to a private media outlet, Maj Gen Ghafoor also said that Pakistan will only play the role of a peacemaker and not take sides in the ongoing conflict between the two countries.

    “Pakistan has defeated terrorism on its territory and will not allow its soil to be used against any other country.”

    According to Geo News, to a question regarding claims made in Indian media that Pakistan’s policy towards Iran has changed in the light of US resumption of military training program for Pakistan Army, the ISPR chief deemed it “Indian propaganda” and “fake news”.

    “Islamabad and Washington were in talks for the last four or five months over the issue and linking it as Pakistan aligning with US is Indian propaganda,” he said. “Pakistan Army is a responsible and professional force and has exercised restraint despite provocative statements from Indian leadership.”

    The military spokesperson also said that Gen Bajwa had an important role to play in regional security and Afghan peace process, and Pakistan didn’t want to see another conflict in the region.

    “Pakistan would oppose any thing that is affecting Afghan reconciliation process as it needs focus from all parties. We are of the view that dialogue is the way forward to achieve lasting peace,” he said.

  • Ali Sadpara becomes first Pakistani to summit Mont Blanc

    Ali Sadpara becomes first Pakistani to summit Mont Blanc

    Pakistani mountaineer Mohammad Ali Sadpara climbed the highest mountain in the Alps and deadliest in the world, Mont Blanc with two other hikers. 

    Mont Blanc rises 4,808 meters above sea level and is considered one of the deadliest peaks in the world. Muhammad Ali Sadpara has also climbed four of Pakistan’s five mountains above 8,000 meters high.

    Sadpara has climbed all five, 8,000-metre high peaks in
    Pakistan, including K2 (8,611m), Gasherbrum I (8,080m), Gasherbrum II (8,034m),
    Nanga Parbat (8,126m) and Broad Peak (8,051m).

    He is the first Pakistani to have climbed Nanga Parbat in
    the winter. He also climbed the 8,516-metre Lhotse peak and 8,485-metre Makalu
    peak in Nepal.

  • Rescue services received 106 pranks calls a day in 2019

    Rescue services received 106 pranks calls a day in 2019

    Rescue 1122 in Attock received 39,000 prank calls in 2019, troubling officials at the main control room who remained alert round-the-clock to fight emergency cases.

    According to reports, District Emergency Officer Ishfaq Mian revealed that emergency calls were only 16,332 while pranks calls amounted to 39,000. The officer lamented that these pranks calls wasted the precious time of rescuers.

    “The fake phone call phenomenon has troubled our human resource and sometimes leads to a tragedy because many genuine calls are then missed and not responded to on time,” he said.

    He asserted that citizens should understand the importance of emergency numbers and try not to deprive real victims of their right to be provided with emergency medical treatment. Rescue officers are directed to ensure immediate emergency care to citizens without any discrimination.

    Punjab Emergency Service (PES), Rescue 1122 Attock handled 16,332 cases in which 17,720 people were saved and given trauma services. Reports reveal that help and support was provided to 2,473 road accident victims, 11,216 medical emergencies, 297 fire incidents and 27 drowning cases.

    Rescue staff maintained their standard response time is seven minutes to emergency. He said during the year 27,000 volunteers from different schools, colleges and other educational institutions were also given rescue and emergency training.